Wednesday, March 16, 2011

St. Patrick's Day Play Dough Recipe

It is Spring Break in Texas! For my family that means a trip to the rodeo, sleeping late, playing outside after dark, and relaxing. One way that my youngest son and I like to relax and have fun is with homemade play dough. Last week a mom of a student in my preschool class donated a batch of green Kool-aid play dough to our classroom. In addition to it being a green color, it smells like lemon-lime Kool-aid. The smell intensifies as it is poked, kneaded, and rolled.

After a few days of free exploration with the green dough, shamrock figures, rollers, cutters, and extruders, I added a bowl of gold glitter. The preschoolers took a ball of dough, flattened it, and then sprinkled it with pinches of gold glitter. They kneaded the dough to incorporate the glitter and create St. Patrick's Day Play Dough. The kids worked many of their small motor skills as the dough began to sparkle.

My co-teacher added pipe cleaners in every color of the rainbow to our dough center. She modeled how to place two small balls of dough on the mat and then poke in the pipe cleaners to create rainbows. Amazing! Everyone was highly motivated to pinch, poke, and bend their pipe cleaners into rainbow shapes. They had no idea that they were developing their tri-pod grasp and exercising the intrinsic muscles in their hands as they explored.

Now my own son, along with his older siblings and a few random neighbor kids, get to reap the benefits of a nice ball of St. Patrick's Day Play Dough. They can knead, shape, and roll the dough as my kitchen is filled with a fresh citrus scent. Of course this dough doesn't have to be enjoyed just at St. Patrick's Day, it could be made anytime of the year. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Love this! We just posted our Kitchen Fun and Crafty friday link party and would LOVE for you to share this! http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2012/03/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_15.html We have also included a Sugarlicious giveaway!

About Heidi

I am a grateful wife and mother of four who happens to love food. It has only taken me 42 years to accept the fact that food is a major part of my life. I collect recipes like some women collect shoes, I have been known to roast a turkey on a Saturday afternoon in order to relax, and I often have items such as silpat liners and rasp graters at the top of my Christmas list. When I'm not preparing food, talking about food, reading about food, writing about food, or eating food, you might find me scrapbooking, taking walks with my husband and my golden retriever, teaching young children, attempting Zumba, or reading to my kids. My plate is full, abundantly full! This blog is a place for me to share my abundance. . . of recipes, of reality, and of revelry. Happy cooking and happy living!